It was the final week of our Fall build and only a few projects were left to complete for our All the Answers set. As I stated in a previous show, this was a production that was plagued by issues, and this story will be no exception. This is the story of how a simple task exploded into an overtime endeavor. How hard can it be to paint a series of squares on the ground?
I felt the need to go above and beyond on this set, as it was my first one as tech director. Unfortunately, we got the plans for the set later than expected, so we had to modify some designs. However, to compensate for these changes, the crew and I decided to paint the front of the stage and the floor in a tile motif similar to the plans, which was never officially designated as a set requirement.
We made sure that the main walls were in place before we started the floor, so we didn’t scratch up our paint job. Once the walls were anchored, we got out the painters tape and began working.
The entire floor and front of the stage was covered in a grid of painters tape, where each tape line was measured to ensure that each tile was a square. The hardest part was ensuring the orientation of each tape line would for tiles that were aligned at the proper angle. It would look awkward if the tiles were slanted at an angle compared to the rest of the set.
This process took us up to the last days before the set deadline. All of the squares were painted in the alternating grey and black scheme, but we had run out of painters tape to properly prepare for the white lines that would run between the tiles. As the deadline was hours away, I made a big mistake as the head of stage crew: I told my painters to eye the paint lines. Once the lines dried, we would go over the tiles with clear coat spray paint to ensure that the tiles would not show scuffs.
The day of the deadline, the line painters were working like madmen and the clearcoat painters were following close behind them.
If you haven’t worked with spray-paint before, I must tell you that they eject a copious amount of fumes as they are used. We had six different men spray painting clear coat onto the entire stage, so I should have expected the next nightmare to follow.
The air in the theater became saturated with a flammable, psychedelic fog. It grew at least five times more dense than the photo above, and after members of my crew got high on the clearcoat fumes, even when they were wearing masks, I decided to call it a day (I kid you not).
The main victims of the psychedelic fog were the line painters, who became a little bit sloppy and crooked with their work. This rush job had actually forced us to start over the entire process.
We needed to purchase the entire painter’s tape inventory in Philadelphia to redo this project. I had the crew working overtime and even brought in family members and friends to get this floor done right.
After a week’s work, it was done. We had learned our lesson: we took our time on the second approach and did not use clear coat to cover the tiles. The biggest nightmare of this set became its biggest strength, and the tiles were the subject of many compliments from the audience during the shows.
Moral of the story:
When the chips are down, make sure that you prioritize quality over quantity. Also make sure that your painters don’t go on a drug trip while they are on the job. There will be no more clear coat spray paint for the stage crew.